Ajacians commitment to help Haitians inspires

Oshawa This Week

Kudos to the 14 members of Ajax's Christian Life Centre who are returning this week from a trip to Delmas, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

This was no Caribbean vacation. The Ajacians were there to deliver clothing, toys and medical and humanitarian supplies. Church members and local groups, the First Ajax Brownies, the 19th Ajax Girl Guides and the Second Shoreline Trex, all pitched in to donate to the effort.

The powerful 2010 earthquake devastated the country, killing hundreds of thousands, destroying or severely damaging countless buildings and making an already challenging existence in the poor Caribbean country desperate. And while it was front page news in the days and weeks following the natural disaster, many forget that the day-to-day situation is still dire and the people of Haiti need a lot of help.

The people at Christian Life Centre have not forgotten.

"For the first six months after an earthquake, people remember it lots, but then they tend to forget about it," Pastor Sam Sibley told us. "We're just determining we're not going to forget about it, these people need us."

That kind of attitude is such an inspiration. And beyond remembering the plight of Haiti's people, the desire to help, to not merely look upon a tragedy, is what's so impressive. It's often said that charity begins at home and you can make a strong argument to support that point of view. But we often forget how wealthy and fortunate we are compared to most of the world's people. When we're thirsty, we think nothing of turning on the tap and getting a drink of water. When we don't feel well, we go to the doctor or hospital. However so many people in the world have to walk miles for water and receive sub-standard medical care or none at all.

Sure, we have our worries as well. But so often they are minuscule compared to the basic needs that others have.

The folks at Christian Life Centre are also helping to educate Haitian children and doing some construction work at Haiti Ministries Christian Mission.

The group plans to return to Haiti every year.

It will be a learning and perhaps life-changing trip for many who take it, especially the younger people among the group, who will see first-hand how dramatically different life in Haiti is compared to our wealthy nation.
--- Ajax News Advertiser